A viral internet sensation passed away last week at the age of 24 after complications from obesity.
Efecan Kultur, 24, had millions of views online and thousands of followers watching his videos. However, his lifestyle and his path to fame jeopardized his health, eventually costing his life.
The Turkish influencer built his online brand by sharing mukbang videos, which captured him gorging on enormous amounts of food in one sitting.
Highlights
- Efecan Kultur, 24, passed away on March 7 from obesity-related medical issues.
- He achieved online success from sharing videos of him binging on food.
- The Turkish influencer was hospitalized last year and struggled with breathing difficulties.
- “This stuff needs to stop,” a social media user said.
A popular Turkish mukbanger passed away on March 7 from obesity-related medical issues
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
Efecan, who would chat away with his audience in his videos, stacked up 176.4K followers through the mukbang trend.
However, due to his unhealthy weight, the 24-year-old could no longer stand and was suffering from breathing problems.
He was hospitalized in December, 2024, as a result of health complications that arose from obesity.
Efecan Kultur, 24, was hospitalized last year and struggled with breathing difficulties
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
The bedridden mukbanger was hooked up to a machine to help him breathe before his untimely passing on March 7.
His last YouTube video was uploaded about eight months ago, and the mukbang videos stopped going up on his TikTok timeline by last October.
He would nevertheless share other types of content on social media.
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
In a video from October, Efecan told his followers that he was on a diet and was cutting down on salt.
Eventually, he was bedridden and struggled with severe mobility issues. He remained in bed for an entire video when fellow Turkish content creator, Testo Taylan, paid him a visit.
Following the extreme eater’s death, social media users slammed the mukbang culture, calling it a “repulsive trend.”
The Turkish man achieved online success from sharing videos of him binging on food
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
“Sad that society allowed this to be okay. RIP,” one commenter said, while another wrote, “Well shame on the folks that promoted this shit.”
“This stuff needs to stop,” read a third comment. “This is horrible,” a fourth said.
“This is not normal or OK,” another wrote. “We need to protect society and these influencers from such lifestyles that lead to predictable ends.”
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
Experts have issued warnings about the alarming mukbang trend and noted how overeating on a regular basis can have a harmful impact on one’s health.
“Mukbang Culture is like most extreme activities online, except the fact that eating is our most basic need and a requirement for our survival,” health and wellness expert Treena Wynes told Bored Panda via email.
The prospect of being popular or famous on social media could be one of the reasons behind the “uptake of these feeder videos,” she said.
Efecan's eating habits and weight left him bedridden with severe mobility issues
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
“You don't have to be beautiful, rich, athletic or knowledgeable or an expert on anything. You just need an abundance of delicious food and a camera. Sometimes, you don't even need a utensil as the messier the better,” the Eating Myself Crazy author added.
A study conducted in January analyzed more than 5,000 mukbang videos on YouTube.
The results concluded that videos containing overeating were watched significantly more than those that did not include overeating.
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
Moreover, the study found that videos with unhealthy eating habits, like eating within a time limit or consuming spicy or irritating food, had more viewers than others.
Treena noted that different people may watch mukbang videos for different reasons.
“Some viewers may be watching to live vicariously through them,” she explained. “Humans also like watching things that are repulsing so the messier and more gross some of the eating is may appeal to many viewers.”
“We need to protect society and these influencers from such lifestyles,” a social media user said
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
“Mukbang Culture also engages all our senses, which is stimulating and enticing,” continued the registered social worker. “These videos signal the reward center of the brain, releasing dopamine and activating physiological and physical responses such as salivating, heart rate increasing, pupils growing wider and even insulin being released, which in turn can cause intense food cravings. Likely similar to a h*roin user watching someone injecting a needle in their arm.”
Mukbang videos may also be appealing to those feeling lonely, especially since millions of people are eating alone nowadays due to the loneliness epidemic, Treena said.
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
“Eating is considered a communal activity, either with a loved one, family or traditionally as a community. We don't feel as lonely watching these videos while eating. We are seeking connection and comfort in whatever form that comes in,” the author explained.
As for the makers of these mukbang videos, chronic overeating could affect their brain's response to leptin signals.
Leptin is a hormone that regulates one's appetite and body weight, and the body can develop leptin resistance when there is over-consumption on a regular basis.
Experts revealed that the mukbang culture has dangerous impacts on overall health and well-being
Image credits: Efecan Kultur
“There are serious implications for extreme eating such as: the loss of joy or pleasure from eating, leptin and insulin resistance, as well as the stomach overcoming the normal stretching to the point of unlimited food being able to be taken in,” Treena said.
“This can cause issues of not knowing when your stomach is full to the point of stomach rupture,” she added. “Leptin resistance is when the brain starts to ignore the messages leptin is sending that we are full and to stop eating. Basically the 'keep eating' switch stays on. This is due to chronically overeating.”